It's hardly make or break time yet for Melbourne City, but a defeat on Friday will leave the new-look club with just two points from a possible 12 to start this Hyundai A-League season.

A draw wouldn't be the worst result for the hosts, who face an Adelaide United side flying high after a strong start to their campaign.

Josep Gombau by comparison is unlikely to want to settle for a share of the spoils after watching his polished team pick apart Perth Glory with clinical precision last Sunday.

Time for City's players to stand up and be counted or the scrutiny will only increase following David Villa's departure to New York next week.

OPTA DATA STATS

Marcelo Carrusca gets the headlines pulling the strings behind the Adelaide front line, but it all starts with Isaias. Those two had the equal most touches (77 each) of the Reds' midfielders in the 2-0 win over Perth Glory last time out.

It was Isaias though who played the most passes (60) with 85 percent accuracy, a statistic which becomes even more impressive when you consider that 18.3 percent of those were long passes (also the most of any Adelaide midfield), demonstrating the former Espanyol man's ability to release the likes of Sergio Cirio and Pablo Sanchez in behind opposition defences.

ROUTE TO GOAL

While Adelaide are certainly comfortable attempting a patient, probing build-up, the Reds have been at their most dangerous on the counter so far this season.

On Sunday, they opened the scoring through a move started when Tarek Elrich chose to pass back to his goalkeeper from a difficult angle rather than hoof the ball long or out of play. From there Eugene Galekovic picked out Carrusca with an inch-perfect long ball and the number 10 did the rest, his slide-rule pass slipping in Cirio to fire past Danny Vukovic.

The second goal came from Elrich's explosive forward run and was tucked away with aplomb by substitute Awer Mabil, who could have had a second through a similar fast break.

City, who spent much of the matches against Sydney and Newcastle camped just outside the opposition penalty area, must careful not to be caught on the break.

WHO’S BEEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT THIS WEEK?

Iain Ramsay has been press-ganged into service at fullback for Melbourne City this season and the former Adelaide United man has suffered a baptism of fire in the position, getting well and truly shredded by Kosta Barbarouses in that epic Melbourne Derby.

With Fabio Ferreira out injured, it remains to be soon who will line up as his direct opponent this week, although any of Pablo Sanchez, Cirio, Craig Goodwin or Awer Mabil could spend some time down the right, depending how much the Reds rotate at AAMI Park.

Regardless of who he goes up against, another night of torment for Ramsay and the need to find a permanent solution will become all the more pressing for John van't Schip.

FORM LINES

City have begun the season with successive 1-1 draws, away to Sydney FC and at home to Newcastle Jets, trailing in both and needing goals from David Villa to salvage a point. Things took a significant turn for the worse last Saturday, when they gave up the lead twice to suffer a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Melbourne Victory.

It's been plain sailing for Adelaide in comparison. They opened their campaign with a deserved 2-1 win away to champions Brisbane Roar, were unfortunate not to earn all three points in a 1-1 draw at home to Victory before coasting to a 2-0 home win over a Perth Glory team who had previously won both of their opening matches.

Throw in a 3-1 extra-time win over Sydney FC in the FFA Cup quarter-finals and it's tough to find fault with the Reds so far in 2014-15.

DID YOU KNOW?

Remember Andrea Migliorini's contribution to the Hyundai A-League? The midfielder made nine appearances for the old Melbourne Heart last season, scoring one of the goals of the season in a thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Adelaide United. For those wondering, the 26-year-old is now back in his native Italy with fourth-tier regional side Delta Porto Tolle Rovigo.

PREDICTION

Result: Melbourne City 1-2 Adelaide United

There are fascinating match-ups all over the field in this one and the winners of those individuals duels will have a big say on the outcome. Can Tarek Elrich handle David Villa on the right of Adelaide's three-man backline? Will Erik Paartalu shut down Marcelo Carrusca? How will Isaias deal with Aaron Mooy and Massimo Murdocca's aggressive pressing when City are out of possession?

It's tough to call and van't Schip's men will be desperate to get off the mark, but recent form and the cohesion of Gombau's side point to an away win.